Rebel Without a Cause

Rana Daggubati is just three films old as an actor, but there’s no denying that he’s here to stay. The success of his debut film, Leader paved way for him to experiment with his career ahead. From a political leader to a sharp shooter in his next movie Nenu Naa Rakshasi, Rana seems to be in quest for newer cinema. Hemanth Kumar is blown away as he finds out what exactly goes through Rana’s rebellious mind.

“I still don’t know if I am an actor! I am just in films. I started my career as a visual effects supervisor which I continued for five years. Then I produced a film and now I’m acting. To me, it’s all the same. It’s still films,” confides Rana when we ask him if he’s fighting for his place in the industry. He clearly isn’t, if his confession is anything to go by. And it’s not the kind of statement you would want to hear from the scion of the Daggubati clan which has a glorious legacy only a few can boast of.

A conversation with Rana Daggubati, about films, is nothing less than a crash course in “How to be a Rebel and challenge the norms”. From Star Wars to Pathala Bhairavi, his interest in films is palpable and eclectic. The choice of films he has done so far throws light on his resolve to do newer cinema. But before we could find out just how much he is into films, we are ushered in to his office because he’s in a meeting with a director, listening to a new story. This might be the umpteenth story Rana has listened to in the past few months during which he completed three films – Leader, Dum Maaro Dum and Nenu Naa Rakshasi. Back in his office, there are posters of his debut film Leader and other films like Godfather, Scarface and Pirates of the Caribbean which adorn the walls. Perhaps, there’s room for more posters to draw inspiration from. One poster in particular catches our attention. It has a quote by Mahatma Gandhi - “I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers.” For a moment, we wonder if Rana still believes in that philosophy! But the moment he walks in, we realize that he gets on a high almost instantly when he talks about his career so far and the projects he’s working on right now. His passion for cinema is blatant. Period!

I write my thoughts! I just write everything. If I have to take a decision, I write. If I have to address someone, I write. My room is filled with little notes, they are not diaries though.

The empire which his grandfather and Dada Saheb Phalke Award winner, D Ramanaidu had built over a period of 47 years resulted in a situation where Rana was spoilt for choice when he decided to make his onscreen debut. Despite all the options he had, he chose to debut in a political drama. “I didn’t choose Leader, the film chose me to narrate the story,” he corrects us, adding with a guffaw, “I didn’t consciously decide that I want to debut with a political drama!” Before he signed his next Telugu film, Rana was offered an important role in Rohan Sippy’s Dum Maaro Dum. The film is set in Goa and Rana plays a musician.

In his upcoming thriller, Nenu Naa Rakshasi, he plays a sharp shooter. It’s quite an unusual choice of films compared to most other actors of his generation. Rana nods in agreement saying, “When I started my acting career, I didn’t want any of my films to have the same character, look or even the same way of storytelling. And so far, each of them has turned out to be extremely different from each other. I couldn’t be happier!” So, is this what he meant by ‘newer’ cinema, a phrase which he often uses? We wonder what he really has in mind. “I really don’t know! Perhaps, I am referring to stories which are not being told. For Leader, I think Nayagan was the closest reference I came across, because as an actor we like to see a reference just to get going. For Jagan’s film, that totally went off the hook. I just couldn’t find a reference. I had to watch some Korean films that were somewhat close! Even to cut a promo or do a scene, you don’t find a reference. I think that’s what I mean by newer cinema,” he explains.

In such cases, where finding a reference is difficult, how does one proceed? Is it blind faith in the script? “It’s not exactly blind faith. It’s more about living the character and putting yourself in circumstances that character will be in. Technically, you see me in that and it’s not something which is written.” He tells us about how he insists on cutting a three minute promo explaining the attitude of the character and another 90 second promo that would narrate the story. “This process actually annoys a lot of people,” he says. Apparently, for a few films which he wanted to be part of and eventually wasn’t, the pre-visualization didn’t look right. “I had to drop out because I wasn’t satisfied with such promos. Some of them released and bombed miserably at the box office. I believe my little exercise is working out and I will stick to that.”

So, what excites him when it comes to films? “Sci-Fi and Action-Adventure have always been my favourite genres. I am also a big fan of period-war films like Gladiator. Star Wars is my all time favourite film. Creating a space that you haven’t seen before, creating an environment or being somebody who was there in the past excites me. It’s challenging and quite gratifying to recreate the magic which existed a long time ago,” Perhaps, it wouldn’t be too long before we see him donning one such role given his personality. He almost looks like a warrior dressed in T-shirt and Jeans!